Page 28 of Petals of Blue: Part One
With silent feet, I tiptoe back to the living room where a glass of wine awaits me. On nights like these, when it's past nine on a Wednesday and the city is quieter, I feel like I belong for once.
Life in Chicago has been a dream. I've found my people, and get along with everyone well enough. Unless they're awful and I have to threaten them with my steel water bottle.
My ass hits the cushions, and a relieved sigh escapes me. Working nights doesn't allow me much relaxation time after the world goes to sleep. It's nice.
I've exorcized my demons through cleaning and screaming, now I'm ready to jump back into my usual schedule.
If I could, I would choose to travel with Violet every day of my life. We would have a home base, of course, but we'd always be on the road. Neither of us are homebodies, constantly wanting to do stuff and be...more.
Our childhoods were stifled, and it shows.
Draining the last sip of my wine, I let my head fall on the cushion and attempt to clear my mind. I've almost accomplished my goal when my phone buzzes on the armrest beside me.
Not thinking much of it, I grab the device and lift it above my face so I can keep relaxing. Tapping the screen, I squint against the bright light. Everything in me freezes, and the unsolicited gasp makes me choke.
My phone slips from my fingers, cracking me in the eyebrow. I can't quite catch a breath as I scramble for it, just to prove to myself that I'm not crazy.
I'm not crazy.
Roman texted me.
Roman
June 18th, 2025
Roman : Please don't dismiss this. Please, Blue. I need to see you. It's important.
I feel sick.Why didn't I change his name in my phone?It's been eleven years, so I don't have the proof of Roman ghosting me anymore, but I still feel that pain as if it were yesterday.
Something about the kind of betrayal I went through has really stuck with me. That kind of breach of trust lingers.
They were my friends, my family. Their parents might have watched me with suspicion but they never kicked me to the curb. The boys loved me. Or so I thought.
I'm debating how to respond when his chat bubble appears and disappears. It happens a few times before his next message comes in, sealing my approach.
Roman : You have every right to ignore this and I'm sorry for that. For so so many things, Blue.
Me: Meet me at Butter and Bloom at eight tomorrow morning.
Roman : I'll be there. Thank you.
Someone would ask mewhy? Why in the hell would I agree to get a coffee with one fourth of my problems?
I refuse to be their casualty anymore. Admitting I've been allowing them to alter my life was difficult, but it was true. The hurt they caused was brought right back to the surface with their presence in Chicago, and literally everywhere I go.
It's time I face this head-on and close that chapter of my life.
Eighteen
ROMAN
I've been shaking since I texted Blue last night. There are many reasons I look like I'm a millisecond from passing out.
One being that Blue actually agreed to see me. I couldn't believe it, then again, she was always the heart of our little group. She would drop anything for us faster than we dropped her.
Second, I manipulated her. I intentionally made it seem like something was wrong because I knew she was still the tenderhearted teenager I met in high school.
Thirdly, I lied to the guys and one hundred percent withheld important information about Blue. All four of us are sitting around a table at Declan’s café, yet I’m the only one who knows the real reason.
